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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK H. HOLDEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

LAST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 241,136, dated May 10,1881.

Application lcd August 23, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, FRANK H. HOLDEN, of Chicago, in the county ot' Cookand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Lasts; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings and to letters ot' reference marked thereon, whichform a part of this specification.

This invention relates to lasts adapted to the manufacture of boots andshoes having removable and changeable toe parts, whereby the principalpart, or body of the last may be used with any one of several forms orstyles of toe that may be required by a prevailing fashion.Itconsistsinthefeaturesofconstruction hereinafter described, and pointedout in the claim.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a last provided withmy improvement. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a toe-piece detachedfrom the last-body. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section of thelast-body and toepiece through one ot the fastenings, and Fig. 4 is atop view of the last with the block removed.

A` represents the rear portion or main body of the last, B the block,and C the toe-piece, each sepa 1able from the others. The line ofdivision between the parts A and C is transverse and vertical, and islocated at or a little forward ofthe ball of the last., in front ofwhich the changes in form or style invariably appear.

The toe-piece C is ot' wood, and D is a metal plate, having two tubularprojections, F, which set horizontally into the toe-piece, and areinterio'rly threaded to receive the connectingbolts G. Said bolts C areattached to the last-body A. ln this instance they are permanentlyattached by having the heads or nuts H secured thereto by the pins p,which heads lie in recesses J of the last-body, and are ac cessible whenthe block l is removed.

The holes in the last-body through which the bolts G pass may be hushed,as shown at I, Fig. 3, and, if desired, metal platesmay be interposedbetween the heads H and the wood upon which they bear in drawing theparts together. rBhe heads H are preferably provided with holes in theirperiphery by which to turn them, instead of being squared, that therecess J may not be unnecessarily large and thus weaken the wood.

By turning the bolts G the part C may obviously be attached or removedat pleasure.

Several toe-pieces being provided to tit thev same last-body, acorresponding number of styles of shoes may be made from the samelast-body. It is believed that in the'manufaeture of shoes on a largescale this will effect au important saving in the cost of the lastsused.

rIhe metal part D is firmly secured to the toe-piece, so as not to beloosened or detached by the hammering to which it is subjected, by meansof the rivets L, inserted vertically through the projections F and thewood surrounding them. Marginal tlanges f, overlying the wood, willserve to keep the toe-piece from splitting. It' preferred, said flangesmay be extended on top and bottom toward the toe, and secured by therivet L, as seen in Fig. l, instead of riveting through F.

In the-drawings two connecting-bolts, Gr, are shown. Obviouslya singlebolt may be sufficient for strength, and will be more quicklymanipulated. Dowels or theirequivalent would in the use of a single boltbe necessary to hold the parts in proper relation, and will be desirablewhen two'bolts are used.

The bottom plate now commonly applied to lasts used in manufacturingboots and shoes may be extended from one part centrally upon the other,and'be screwed thereto, so as to materially re-enforce the connectionherein shown and described.

I am aware that lasts have been made with changeable toe pieces,wherefore I do not broadly claim this feature ol" construction; but

I claim- In combination with the body A and a coni'iecting-bolt, G, thewooden detachable toepiece C, provided with a metal part, D, projectingforward into or upon the toepiece and secured by the rivet L, said metalpart being recessed to receive and engage the connectingbolt,substantially as described, and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I aflix mysignaturein presence ot' two witnesses.

FRANK H. HOLDEN.

WTitnesses:

M. E. DAYTON, J Essa COX, Jr.

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